YOU HAVE
ADDED TO THE WEEKLY GARDENING PING LIST
Posted on 05/29/2009 5:08:50 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
Good morning Freeper gardeners. This weekend marks the end of May and I hope everyone’s gardens are doing well. I know some have had to delay planting due to weather and we all hope conditions have improved for you.
So far this weekend is looking like a good one, weather wise, all across the Nation except for some lingering rain in the extreme NE. Lets get gardening!
That had my sides splittin’
ROTFLMAO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, I know it’s late in the thread, but here’s my garden:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008753&id=1459693506&l=50e3fcd33e
I think it is great what FReepers can do. There is another Freeper that has his whole garden planted in earth boxes, something like 20 or more of them.
You’re welcome! The black eyes peas have now produced pods, and they should be ready for harvest in a few weeks. I’m not sure what I’ll plant next time around, but I think I’ll start to mix plantings to reduce the concentration of certain types of pests. I’ve noticed a lot of black flies on the peas, but the ladybugs have been taking pretty good care of them.
Lettuce isn’t doing too well. Too hot I guess. Spinach is so-so. The peppers are amazing!
I need to pull out my old ‘Square Foot Gardening’ and study up on complimentary plantings for the next round.
Oh and it is never to late to post on the thread it lasts the whole week.
put a reefer in his mouth ... and he would be a REEL hit. Tooofunny thanx for brightening my day
Love gardening advice. I'm out there everyday enjoying the Creation.
Living in the fruit & veggie capital of America, the San Joaquin Valley, we are already enjoying some of the harvest. Started planting in late February. I put in boxed beds in a special area of the garden... will have to take a photo as it is fantastic. I have a little bit of everything... from flameglo grapes to 'stipey' tomatoes. My strawberries didn't do so well. Discovered you have to plant them on hills to produce properly. Looking forward to more threads.
YOU HAVE
ADDED TO THE WEEKLY GARDENING PING LIST
There’s a frost/freeze warning up for NYS and PA tonight. A cold front is coming down out of Canada so I can’t help but think that other areas across the Great Lakes and Midwest might be facing the same.
You might want to ping the list and warn them to check their forecast.
Ping for frost freeze warning! See metmom’s post above #180.
I am in that frost/freeze warning tonight and yesterday, sitting among my fresh young sprouts, I had a thought.
I will of course be resorting to sheets and newspaper and such to cover everything, but the potato patch is taxing my resources on that score.
I’m about to go to the store to buy garbage bags, the black ones for the big cans.
I’m going to buy the ones that come on a roll, with perforations between the bags. Presto! Customizable black covers for my tater rows. Rocks here and there will hold them in place and tomorrow I’ll gather them back up and store them for their normal use.
Will plastic do these young sprouts (only about four inches for the big ones) any harm over the course of twelve hours?
If you are talking about just over night I don’t think it would not harm the plants.
Great Thread with Great Info..
here in WNC I’ve had great luck this year with an abundance of rain.. except Okra.. greenhouse the plants and transplant where they die in 2-3 days.. figured too wet so made some oversize hills with sand mixed in.. still not great..
any ideas on okra at +3000 feet and wet ?
I save old, ratty blankets and mattress pads to use for this.
I store them in the barn and they’re easy to use and don’t blow away like plastic.
Thanks for the ping.
Sorry for leaving the big northern door open again. ;-)
Metmom, aren’t blankets and mattress pads too heavy to lay over the plants?
A few years ago I left some flats of annuals in our garage. It was late May when we were hit with a heavy frost. So heavy it froze the plants in the garage.
I will bring the flats inside the house tonight. I don't trust the garage.
thanks for the ping!
Our tomatoes survived the freeze we had two weeks ago (thanks to mr sneakers ingenuity!). We have a very small area to plant, but we’re trying the “three sisters” method of planting corn, beans and squash. Put in the corn yesterday. Also, we are going to have LOTS of snowpeas, and the regular peas are doing well also. I have cabbages growing in a weird place next to our basement steps, but what the hey! It’s working so far! We have been enjoying onions already and our (few) strawberries are turning red. This raised gardening is pretty much a first try for us. Next year we’ll plan ahead and be more organized.
Today we plant beans, beets and leaf lettuce.
We planted Roma plum tomatoes, and Marglobes. Both started from seed. I’m really proud of myself!!!! lol!!
Huzzah! There is nothing better than a REALLY good vine ripened Tomato
Late catching up, here, but I think you need to check the type of tomato plant you are trying to grow indoors. Even with timed lights and staking, the indeterminate, full size plants just don’t do well indoors unless you have a 5-gallon container and really high head room. Also, a full size indeterminate WILL fall over and crack off the branch from the weight of the fruit unless it is extremely well staked, making sure to stake securely every bearing branch.
For a 3”-4” tomato, try the Patio Hybrids (some are called Patio Princess). They reach 24” in height and are determinate, meaning they only grow so many branches, and, therefore, so many tomatoes. I like these started inside and then moved outside, in the pot. Mine on the deck are full of green tomatoes up here in zone 4. I started them from seed in March, first under lights, then in a south window.
However, the best cherry-type tomato I have grown indoors, under lights, is the Red Robin. It is a miniature/dwarf and takes 4+ months from seed to end of harvest. Perhaps 30+ cherry tomatoes with good flavor/plant. Use a 12” pot or, as I did, grow it hydroponically. It only grows to about 18”-20”, is very strong, but still needs staking and is bushy, so only one plant to a container is best, IMO.
I am experimenting right now with 2 other dwarf miniatures: Silvery Fern, which has lovely, airy foliage, is about 2 feet high or a bit less and is bred for cold climates. I started mine in April and they are just now full of flowers. It needs staking and a 12” pot. It is outside, now, but if I like the fruit, I will start some for indoors.The other cultivar is Tiny Tim. 16” or less, compact and looks quite strong. It, too, is just at the flower stage.
Seeds are available at containerseeds.com. I am fairly sure that all except the Patios are open pollinated.
My goal is to start hydroponic plantings every month, so I have some sort of indoor or patio tomato from October-August, when my garden bears. I also have been doing lettuce hydroponically. I am using full sized regular garden seeds and I have a low fan on them for an hour or so each day as soon as they have several real leaves. That makes them less limp and with more crunch. I like the red lettuces. I just started some spinach, but the one I chose is very slow to sprout (up to 2 weeks) and grows very slowly. Hubby hates it, so I may not plant it again.
About those lights: I use compact florescent grow lights. The more lumens, the better. 2 equal about 60-65 watts, so they are economical. My hydroponic plantings are in an AeroGarden. I use the Pro200 for tomatoes because the lights are stronger, it has a trellis support system that is quite ingenious and the lamp arm goes up to 24”. For lettuce, I use a regular 7-pod AeroGarden. They are spendy, but they have regular sales and I found a reconditioned one for my son for about 1/3 off last month. I have purchased mine slowly, over a few years and will get one more so I can do my sequential tomato plantings.
Good luck! I find it quite challenging and a lot of fun, plus, we love tomatoes with flavor.
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